Hebrews 9:18

Hebrews 9:18

There has to be blood!

And here is the evidence that a death has taken place. Blood has been proved to have been shed. The Old Mosaic Covenant relied on the slaughter of endless animal sacrifices. We can only imagine the numbers processing towards the holy site, especially on Feast days when Jerusalem was full of pilgrims. We looked at the various offerings in verse 13 and in every case the creature had to be killed and its blood poured out, if it was to atone for the sins of the offeror. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” Hebrews 9:22. Countless innocent animals were led to the slaughter over the centuries of Tabernacle / Temple rituals. The pilgrim would lay his hands on the beast and then kill it. The priests would collect the blood and apply it to the sides of the altar, then the animal would be butchered. Hundreds of thousands of animals must have been sacrificed in this way. These poor creatures were seen as substitutes for men and their blood symbolised the death of the guilty person and was offered as reparation for sins. 

Obviously, God intended that the sacrifice of His Son, Yeshua, would fulfil the same requirements, only His sacrifice was once-for-all and need never be repeated. And, as we have seen, His blood covers not just external sins but also cleanses the hearts and the consciences of guilty people of all ages and, nationalities and sexes, forever. Hallelujah!

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